# 311, February 29, 2004
COLUMBUS: This is Leap Day, not only leap day, but also the fifth Sunday in February, a rare occasion. A fifth Sunday in February comes so seldom, why, we send Marines to Haiti more often. (See Historic quotes below)
We sent our Marines in there again today. If we turn those boys loose, that little revolution down there will be over quick. If fact it could be shorter than the Academy Awards show going on tonight. But we won’t turn them loose, so the Marines will be there a while. And when they come home it’ll be for a short rest, till we send them back again.
Of course the Academy Awards didn’t have to run so long. They could have been over by 10:30 if Billy Crystal had just invited everyone connected in any way with “Lord of the Rings” up on stage at the start and handed ’em one.
If you want to win an Oscar, forget Hollywood, go to New Zealand.
Historic quotes from Will Rogers:
“We get into more things for less reasons than any nation in the world… Just the other day a little island down here, Haiti, they wanted to have a little shootin’ and use each other as targets. Well, the day the shootin’ was to come off, before they could fire the opening overture we was there, we was right there, there to get in it. We not only sent the Marines down, we said, “What’s the big idea of having a war?” and we went in… The Haitians don’t mind Marines because they have been around these countries and fought with them so much they like the Marines, they are likable chaps, you know… I don’t know how we know that all these things are goin’ on. We must have scouts out somewhere. It takes a big Navy for us and England just to locate somebody else’s business.” Radio Broadcast, April 6, 1930
“See where they don’t allow an American Senator to land in Haiti. Who would ever have thought that Haiti would be the first ideal country?” DT #197, March 14, 1927
“A Nation is built on Character the same as a person is, and no matter what their difficulties are, that old Character shows up.” WA #456, Sept. 20, 1931